Devils take over lease of IAW??

Rumour is that the Devils ownership has taken over the lease of the IAW. Whether this is the case or they have just taken over the day to day management of the facility I don’t know.
Hopefully we will hear from the ownership and they can confirm the former.
Fantastic news if true tho.

Anyone know if the dance studio gets used? I’m not even sure where it is in relation to the other areas of the rink but if not in use, surely that could be utilised for something else, especially with the limited cafe facilities on match nights?
Hope the new arrangement allows the club to change the decor of the bar/arena eventually and to 'brand' the arena in time, so it’s clear to the passing public just what goes on in there.
So much more could be done with that facility and if anyone can turn it around and make it profitable, then I’m sure Kelman can.
A first step to owning outright?

Anyone know if the dance studio gets used? I’m not even sure where it is in relation to the other areas of the rink but if not in use, surely that could be utilised for something else, especially with the limited cafe facilities on match nights?
Hope the new arrangement allows the club to change the decor of the bar/arena eventually and to 'brand' the arena in time, so it’s clear to the passing public just what goes on in there.
So much more could be done with that facility and if anyone can turn it around and make it profitable, then I’m sure Kelman can.
A first step to owning outright?

An exciting development for the club and the whole skating community. IAW is a fantastic facility but there have been fair questions to date about the scope to reach its full potential. From a match night experience then there is clearly more work to be done, particularly around phone/wifi signal, catering facilities, and the bar (its look and the queues).

The biggest and probably most important challenge is how to maximise revenues from the day to day use of the facility. I would imagine the Devils games pretty much take care of themselves but the normal weekday during school terms must be a drain on costs.

This has the potential to be huge for the longterm self sustainability of the Devils. It also can only have positive effects on the rink itself. I know its been challenging at times coordinating with IAW for the Devils but all their concerns should now hopefully be within their own hands. It also means the large file of issues with IAW the Fan Council have had from the fans can now be shifted to the Devils to fix

Both a blessing and a curse for the owners and Todd. A whole new load of responsibility with many shortcomings but a chance to make clear improvements.

The problem now is to manage expectation with reality. If the Devils are now operators, they can make improvements however they are likely to be minor. It's still Greenbank's rink afterall.
I know a number of fans will be expecting a new second tier to add 10,000 seats, fibre optic broadband and phone signal in your seat, a multi storey car park that empties in 6 seconds, prices at the bar displayed in a font at a minimum size of a foot per character and an extension to the cafe with a 3 course menu and 300 tills. Now the club are operators it gives the chance to make the best of what we'e got.

Any changes will be subtle but effective. There will be improvements but nothing huge imminently. I would expect to see changes in the catering first. Potential gold mine there not being exploited. Todd is a businessman and will make his decisions based on profit not emotion

I ask the question 'What's in it for Greenbank?'
Not a lot probably? Maybe less losses.

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Honestly no idea.

On the face of it would appear to be of benefit to the Devils. It could also pose several possible negative impacts. The facility wasn’t designed particularly well. It is going to need investment, will that investment bring return. Don’t get me wrong Todd and the owners have been in enough rinks to know how to run them, my fear is that unlike North America the UK has closed many rinks in recent years. The challenges are great, businesses with far more practical experience have failed to run rinks in the UK successfully. Greenbank had/has no interest in owning or running the IAW, one reason why basically it’s a turd with some paint on it, dull grey paint. The concept of the IAW never had enough potential to warrant investing in it, hence the 10 yrs and several different options, designs and many more potential investors unable to conclude viability and walking away. As a multi purpose Arena it will continue to struggling. Cardiff Council recently revealed its plans for future development around the city with the winter sports area of Cardiff Bay being one potential site for the CIA’s replacement facility. Are the Devils being paid to manage the site, hopefully yes and hopefully a budget for refurbishment, improvements has been agreed and provided by Greenbank or the Council. What happens to the relationship if Todd cannot either get funding/permission to implement improvements or if those improvements fail to make a return. I hope this isn’t a test by Greenbank to provide enough evidence to warrant a complete demolition of the site to make way for an Arena to replace the CIA.